I am Iron Man
by Blue Boxes and Vampire Fangs
Summary: The companion to The Hero Chronicles. Here is a collection of one shots that follow Tony and his reaction to the situations in the series.
1. After the Announcement

**All right guys here we go! this one shot is right after the moment where Tony declares himself as Iron Man. we know how Scarlett reacted, but the question is how did Tony react?**

 **So as always Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

* * *

 **I Am Iron Man**

* * *

 **After The Announcement**

* * *

Tony strutted off of the stage; he had just announced that he was Iron Man. Sure, that uptight suit wearing agent was going to have a field day, but seriously he was _The_ Tony Stark, he didn't just follow along with something he didn't want to do.

"Pepper," he greeted the redhead as he walked back into the back room where they had watched the press conference; he looked around the room and didn't see his daughter. "Where's Scarlett?" he asked.

He had just announced that he was Iron Man; nobody was going to try and hurt his family again. Nobody was going to hurt Scarlett ever again. After watching Obadiah drag her body out of his home, helpless to do anything but sit there and watch, he knew he was going to do everything in his power to make sure nobody came after her again.

Because he had realized something while he was sitting there, dying. He had turned into his father, worse in even some certain aspects. He was going to change that, he was lucky Scarlett was still calling him 'Dad' because when he was her age he called his father Howard, and he didn't think he could ever handle her calling him Tony and not Dad.

"She left," Pepper said quietly. "Right after your announcement."

Tony nodded his head, it made sense to him. Scarlett never liked being in the spotlight and she was still recovering from what Obadiah did to her. She didn't want anybody to see her like that.

"Well," he said, "my job is done." He turned to Agent Coulson. "Agent, have fun." And he walked back out of the room and made his way through the press area, ignoring all of the questions that the reporters were throwing at him. He wasn't answering questions today; today he was reconnecting with his daughter.

When he pulled into the garage he noticed that Scarlett's car was gone, which was weird but he didn't put much stock into that.

He walked into the house and noticed that it was quiet and dark; all of the lights were out, which threw him for a loop. It was never quiet when Scarlett was home, she always had a movie on or the radio playing in the background or hell even Max would be barking when he was bored of Scarlett doing her work.

But there was nothing; only silence.

* * *

"JARVIS," Tony called out as he made his was into the living room.

"Welcome home, sir," JARVIS repeated slowly before stopping all together.

Tony stopped and he felt his heart freeze. If someone had hacked into JARVIS they had to be on site in the house, where was Scarlett? And that's when he noticed someone standing in the living room next to the window looking out at the ocean.

"'I am Iron Man'," the man said without turning around to face Tony. "You think you're the only superhero in the world?"

The man turned around to face Tony. "Mr. Stark you've become part of a greater universe," he began. "You just don't know it yet."

"Who the hell are you?" Tony asked. "And where is my daughter?"

"Nick Fury," the man introduced. "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Huh," Tony answered. _Isn't that where Agent and Scarlett's not-so-physical therapist worked?_

"I'm here to talk to you about The Avengers Initiative," he said.

Tony just scrunched his face as he looked over the leather clad man. "Not to be rude, person-who-broke-into-my-house but I'm going to pass."

"Mr. Stark," he began.

"No," Tony interrupted. "I'm not joining; now where is my daughter?"

Fury walked over to Tony and handed him a piece of paper.

Tony looked down and saw the message that was written on it. "She's going to New York?" Tony asked.

"You've met Clint, he's got an apartment that she's going to stay at," Fury said.

"You're taking her from me?" Tony growled.

"We're not taking anyone, in fact she was going to leave without a place to stay and Clint offered his apartment without even thinking about it." Fury informed.

"I don't believe you," Tony said.

Fury sighed. "Mr. Stark, your daughter developed an anxiety disorder because of the life you've made for her. She has panic attacks almost weekly from how severe the pressure of being Tony Stark's daughter is. What made you think that she would be able to handle life as Iron Man's daughter?" He asked.

Tony looked up and opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried again as Fury's words kept repeating over and over again in his head. He never thought about it, how her life would be affected by it. He knew that she didn't enjoy life in the spotlight but he just assumed that she would embrace it eventually.

He gulped and turned his face from Fury's.

He heard the man's footsteps walk away and thirty seconds later JARVIS and the lights turned back on.

But Tony didn't care, he walked to Scarlett's room and stopped when he saw how empty it was; all of her clothes and her artwork gone. The safe was opened and all of her journals were gone. Tony stumbled over to her bed and sat down on the bare mattress.

She was gone, just like that she ran away and this time she ran away from him.

Tony put his head in his hands and wished hard that she would walk back in the door. That she would give one last chance to the situation. But she wasn't going to. That was something that he knew she got from him, when she made a decision she was going to go through with it. His daughter was on her way to New York, and chances are she was never going to speak to him again.

"Tony," he heard Pepper's voice softly call to him from the door.

"She's gone Pep," Tony said hoarsely. "She asked me not to stray from the notes and I did and now she's gone."

Pepper walked over and sat down next to Tony and grabbed his hand.

"For those three months when I was over there all I could think about was her, and how I screwed up raising her. I was going to do better, to _be_ better, but then all of this Iron Man stuff got in the way and I let her get pushed to the back again," he rambled.

"Your daughter is an amazing person," Pepper said. "She is kind and caring and has a huge heart. You screwed up several times but what parent doesn't? It's not too late for you to be her father."

Tony stood up and walked over to the door. "Yes it is," he said as left Scarlett's room.

"Tony!" Pepper said as she stood up and started chasing after him. "So that's it? That's all? You're just going to give up? You're not going to try at all?"

"What's the point?" Tony asked as he headed to the bar.

"Because she wants you to!" Pepper said. "Because you never have!"

Tony's head shot up and glared at Pepper for a moment, but didn't say anything because deep down he knew the she was right. He knew that if he tried, if he gave up Iron Man and the giant spotlight, she would come back. And the two of them could just be Tony and Scarlett. But what if she didn't, what if that was the last straw, what if this broke the camels' back? He would rather live in this area of maybe than live in the definite of no any day.

No, he was going to let her simmer, she would need time to calm down and settle into this new life that she wanted. He was going to let her life in New York.

Tony nodded his head and walked down to the lab. He heard Pepper sigh behind him but the soft clack of her heels hitting the steps told him that she was following.

"What are you doing?" Pepper asked as she entered the lab.

She saw Scarlett's gift, well what was left of her gift on the counter. "What happened?" she asked.

"My daughter once again saved my life," Tony said. "I used the reactor that was in there to get her back. And I've decided that I should open the Expo."

"The Expo?" Pepper asked as she picked up the holder that Scarlett had made that stated that it was proof that Tony stark had a heart. She had loved that line but it broke her heart because Pepper always believed that Scarlett was proof that Tony had a heart. She remembered the early years, when Scarlett would cry for her mom for hours, screaming until she gagged. She remembered finding Tony sitting at her closed door crying because he couldn't raise his daughter by himself and he didn't know what to do.

"Yes," Tony said drawing Pepper out of her thoughts of the past. "The Expo, in fact I think we should start construction on it A.S.A.P. "Where would we hold it?" Pepper asked. "That's not something we can just decide to do, it's a yearlong event, Tony."

"I was thinking upstate New York," Tony said. "And we should probably start construction on a new branch of Stark Industries because you're right we're going to be there for a year."

It took Pepper a moment to pause and think about what Tony was saying. And then she sighed and nodded her head. "I'll get started on looking for locations, are you thinking about making this place permanent?"

"Its up in the air," Tony said.

"I understand. Will that be all Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked.

"That'll be all Ms. Potts," Tony answered.

* * *

 **AN: was it all that you hoped for? I hope it is! let me know if this was something that you guys enjoyed or if you want something slightly different!**


	2. New York

**AN: hey y'all! This one shot takes place in New York!**

 **As Always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 **New York**

* * *

Tony was pacing. _This was a stupid mistake_ , he thought to himself as he sat on the couch in the living room.

He was in Scarlett's apartment. Well no, scratch that, she wasn't even calling herself that anymore, it was _Clara's_ apartment. To be even more technical it wasn't just Scar- Clara's- apartment, it was hers and Clint's.

He hated that man, that man that came in and befriended his daughter. That offered her an apartment in New York away from him. It was him that helped her heal from the incident. It was him that was doing all the things that Tony should do.

Should have done.

But didn't do.

* * *

The door opened and Tony stood up as the person walked straight into the living room.

"I wondered when you would show up," Clint said as he set his bag on the floor. "But to be honest I thought it would be Pepper."

Tony gritted his teeth as he looked around the apartment. "Well it is _my_ daughter," he said.

Clint snorted as he crossed his arms and continued to stare at the man was the source of most of Clara's inner struggles.

Tony glared at him and then shifted. "Do you always stare at people uncomfortably?" he asked.

"I do," Clint said. "Especially when I'm trying to figure them out."

"Well I'm an open book," Tony said.

"Why are you here?" Clint asked ignoring the comment, he had spent months talking to and befriending Tweety and as much as she wanted to ignore it, the two of them were peas in a pod.

"I want my daughter back," Tony said.

"Why?" Clint asked

"Because she's my daughter," Tony snapped. "Why else?"

Clint shrugged. "I hoped that maybe you had realized how much you fucked up and wanted to apologize to her," he stated.

Tony rubbed his eyes with his fingers, God this man was difficult. "It doesn't really matter to you, because this is between my daughter and me."

"It was," Clint agreed. "Until I had to spend our entire trip over here, comforting her as she cried herself to sleep every night. Until I had to calm her down from three panic attacks as she was spotted as Iron Man's daughter and people wanted her autograph and picture. Until—"

"I get it!" Tony said holding up his hand.

"I don't think you do," Clint said. "Last night was the first time she hasn't had a nightmare since the Obadiah thing. She's finally settling down and creating a life that she can handle and you want to drag her back into your world because you feel like it."

"Of course I want her in my world," Tony said. "She's my daughter."

Clint shook his head as the door opened again, both of them shot their heads towards Clara as she walked in.

* * *

"So I think I found a job," she said as she walked in, not noticing her dad yet. "It's this cute little coffee shop and they said they didn't care that I hadn't had any experience."

Clint smiled. "That's great," he said.

"I'm sorry," she said, "for rushing, but I have an appointment with an advisor who is going to help me pick classes for the fall."

Clint looked over at Tony who was staring at his daughter. He understood, although she was cleared by the doctors Clara still bore bruises from Obadiah. He could see the start of her back with the shirt she was wearing and her scars were still a bright pink.

Guilt flashed through Tony as he heard his daughter go on and on about her plans that she had made for herself.

Clara was rushing back out of her room when she stopped, because she had finally seen what Clint was doing in the living room; he was talking to her dad.

"Dad?" she asked. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Tony scratched the back of his neck. "I came to come get you back," he confessed.

"Why?" Clara asked as she looked between Clint and her dad.

"Because I'm selfish," he confessed. "And I wanted you with me."

Clara bit her lip and closed her eyes. "Dad," she whispered again her voice wavering. "Please don't."

Tony faltered at hearing her beg, she was eighteen years old and he couldn't remember the last time she begged him for something.

"Scarlett," he began. "This was a misunderstanding, I did it for you."

"For me?" she asked. "How was that for me? That was for you, you and your ego. That wasn't for me."

Tony opened his mouth and then closed it again. "We can work through this, I'm your father."

"Stop," Clara said. "Dad, I will always love you and I do, I love you and I realize that it was hard raising me by yourself and I thank you for it, and you will always be my dad. But it will always be your fault that I don't know what that means."

Tony was stunned at her outburst and couldn't do anything as she ran out of the apartment nearly in tears.

* * *

Clint sighed as he turned to face Tony. "It should have been our world," he said.

Tony's head shot towards Clint. "Excuse me?" he said.

"From the moment she entered the world, from the moment you held her in your arms, it should have been our world. Together, there isn't a 'hers' and a 'yours'. That's all she wanted, to be a part of someone's."

Tony licked his lips and swallowed. He looked over at Clint. "And now she is," he said.

Clint shook his head. "No, now she's making her own, carving out her own rules and including the people she wants. She's finding a life she can live."

Tony sniffed as all of his plans started to crumble, this isn't how it was supposed to go, this wasn't the way he planned it. "You'll keep her safe?" he asked.

"Always," Clint promised without hesitation. "She's part of my family now."

Tony grinded his teeth together as he stared at the door. He formed a fist at his side, and then unclenched, clenched and unclenched, and once more.

"Let her find herself," Clint said. "She loves you, she worships you and I don't mean Iron Man or even Tony Stark, I mean you as her father. Let her find herself and I promise if you put forth effort, she'll include you the moment she can."

"Do you have kids?" Tony asked. "Do you realize what you're asking me to do?"

* * *

Clint left Tony alone for a moment and came back with a small leather bound journal.

"Is this?" he asked as he took it from him and flipped through the pages. Sure enough, his daughter's handwriting stared back at him.

"Get to know your daughter," he said. "This one, not the one you think she is."

Tony tucked the journal under his arm and turned to the door.

"And yes," Clint said quietly. "I do have kids, and there is no way in hell I would give up without a fight."

Tony understood what he was saying and nodded his head. "I'm coming back," he promised.

"I'm counting on it," Clint said.

* * *

Tony opened the door and was stopped by Clint grabbing the back of his shirt collar. Clint threw him up against the wall. "If any word gets out about my family," he began.

"Your secret is safe," Tony said, staring at Clint. "I never would."

Clint looked at tony and nodded, despite the way he treated his daughter growing up, the man cared about family.

Tony took his leave and slid into the back of the car he was in. He took a breath as he opened the journal to the first page.

* * *

 _"I sat in my chair, listening to the montage of my dad's life:_

 _How he was such a hero to us all._

 _How he was a genius mastermind._

 _How he was such a great son following in his father's footsteps._

 _Funny how they never mention being a father as one of his greatest achievements."_


	3. November 17, 1994

**Hey guys, here is a little one shot for ya,**

 **as always Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 **One Stormy Night**

November 17 1994

* * *

Tony was on his knees he had never felt more helpless than he did right now. He was holding his little girl's hair as she puked into the toilet. Tonight was different then most. It had started off the same, Tony screwing up bedtime…. Again according to Scarlett. This time was the voices of the storybook he read to her, the princess wasn't right. And so she cried for her mom, who did the voice right.

After seeing two child psychologists, Tony did what they suggested and left the room when she started crying. Which only caused Scarlett to start screaming. Which lead to her choking, which brought them to where they were now. His three year old making herself throw up because he didn't read the damn book right.

Scarlett hiccupped and pushed off of the toilet. She curled into Tony and buried her head in his shirt.

Tony ignored the fact that he probably had throw up on his shirt to put his arms around her. She sniffled and coughed once more.

"Come on sweetie" Tony said as he managed to stand up, the tiny three-year-old still in his arms.

He laid her back on the bed and kissed the top of her head.

She had worn herself out with her temper tantrum and fallen asleep. He tucked her in and walked outside of her room and shut the door.

* * *

He slid down the floor of the wall across from her room and stared at her door. A pink S with butterflies sat on it marking it as hers.

He banged his head against the wall as the cries of his child still rang through his head.

What was he doing? Trying to raise her? Him?

When he sat down with… _her,_ he said he didn't want to have kids, he didn't think he could do it. But she convinced him. Told him that they could do it together.

But alone? He was drowning, more importantly his daughter was suffering. This wasn't the first time that he had thought about this. About giving up. But tonight was different; tonight his daughter had made herself sick. Tonight was just a flashing neon sign telling him how much like his father he actually was.

He pushed up off the floor and headed to the kitchen where the bar was. He reached for a tumbler and his decanter of scotch. Sticking to his routine, but today was different. He couldn't find the energy to get drunk tonight. And somewhere in the back of his mind he wanted tonight's decision to be made sober.

* * *

He heard the clack of Pepper's high heels on the floor and he turned his head to see the clock on the microwave read 5:45am.

"Oh Tony" pepper sighed as she saw him sitting at the bar.

"I uh" Tony began but then stopped. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I need you to call child services"

Pepper froze "why?" she asked hesitantly

"Because everyone was right," Tony said as stood up from the bar stool he was at "I cant do it, I cant raise her."

"What happened?" Pepper asked as she moved into motion again and walked up next to Tony.

"She made herself sick Pep" Tony said, his voice hoarse "she cried so hard until she was throwing up and then she passed out."

Pepper felt her heart tug for the two lost Starks. She didn't know what to do to help them but she knew that this wasn't the answer.

"So please can you call them?" Tony begged.

Pepper looked down the hallway towards where that little girl was. "Will you give me the day?" she said as she glanced back at Tony "to help, please. This isn't the answer we can figure this out."

"DO YOU THINK I'M NOT TRYING?" Tony bellowed "DO YOU THINK I HAVENT DONE EVERYTHING?"

Pepper flinched at Tony's outburst, she hadn't heard Tony yell like that ever.

The two of them sat there staring in silence at the outburst when they heard little footsteps heading towards them.

* * *

"Shit" Tony, swore as he turned his body towards the hallway.

"Daddy?" the little three year old called out, she was holding her teddy bear and rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Scar," he said squatting down to face the little girl. "I'm sorry I woke you up"

"S'ok" the little girl mumbled. "Pepper" she added finally seeing the redhead.

Pepper smiled as she took in the duo, she couldn't imagine either one of them without each other. She knew she needed to try to convince tony that this wasn't the way to do this.

"Hi sweetie, do you want some breakfast?" she asked.

The little girl nodded and looked at her dad, "can we have pancakes?" she asked.

Tony picked the little girl up and placed her on the counter. "Lets see" he said as he went to the cabinets.

Pepper walked over and looked at Scarlett, the poor girl looked so tired, she knew she wasn't getting enough sleep, neither one of the Starks were. But it didn't look like she was eating enough either.

"I heard you were naughty last night" Pepper said.

The little girl's headshot up at Pepper "I wasn't" she protested.

"Are you sure?" Pepper asked, "Because I heard that you threw a temper tantrum"

The little girl pouted and turned to face Tony "you told her" she accused.

Tony chuckled as he opened the fridge "sure did kiddo, I told everyone"

"What?" she asked her voice starting to wobble "why?"

Pepper ruffled the little girl's hair "because we all want you to behave, and you weren't last night"

Scarlett huffed, as he dad walked over to her "bad news kiddo, we don't have the ingredients to make pancakes."

The two adults watched as the three year old's eyes watered and her lower lip started to tremble.

"But" Tony said trying to calm the child down before another temper tantrum occurred. "We can have waffles."

"Waffles?" she repeated.

"Waffles" Tony said "and they are better than pancakes"

"They are?" she asked.

Tony nodded his head and Scarlett looked up at Pepper, "they are," she asked again.

Pepper nodded her head and looked down at the three year old, "yes they are," she agreed.

"Why?" Scarlett asked her dad.

"Why?" he repeated "because, be-cause" he reached over to the freezer and pulled out a frozen waffle and showed it to Scarlett. "Because you see all these holes, they're syrup holders."

Scarlett grabbed the waffle from Tony and inspected it. She poked the hole and then looked up at tony. "What's a syrup wolder?"

"I'll show you," he promised as he popped it into the toaster.

Pepper smiled as she watched the two interact. To keep Scarlett interested until the waffle was down, she would kick her feet up and Tony would catch it, he would tickle her toes. She would giggle and Tony would let her feet go. Until she did it again.

The toaster popped up.

"Yay!" she cheered as Tony placed the waffle on her plate, he walked over to Scarlett with a bottle of syrup.

"Watch" he commanded as he poured syrup into the little holes that the waffle provided.

The little girl watched entranced as each hole filled up with syrup, tony cut a piece off and offered it to her.

"Its good right?" tony asked as Scarlett took a bite and started to chew it.

"Mmm" Scarlett hummed "chocolate!" she exclaimed at the hidden treat Tony failed to mention.

Tony laughed as the three year old took the fork from him and started to eat the waffle.

The two adults looked over her head and made eye contact.

"One more day?" pepper asked.

Tony looked down at Scarlett who was covered in maple syrup, she gave him a toothy smile and he looked back at pepper.

"Forget the call" tony said as he swiped a bite of her waffle. "She's mine"


	4. Hearing the News

**Hey Guys, here is another chapter from Tony's POV, this one is the one that you all have been asking for!**

 **It takes place right after Accepted finished.**

 **So as always Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Hearing the News**

* * *

Tony strutted through the hotel lobby. He was flying high on cloud 9. He had his daughter back, his life and was finally going somewhere with Pepper. In fact he hadn't felt this way in years.

He had just gotten the lease for the new stark building here in New York. He had a plan to get Scarlett back to living with him, and it started with putting Scarlet's name on the lease. He was going to do it at lunch, but she had said that they needed to talk so he just asked room service to serve them lunch in his suite.

"Hello daughter" Tony said as he walked into the main living area of the suite. He glanced around and saw Scarlett standing by the window, looking outside. It was probably a good thing Tony thought to himself, this room was horribly decorated.

"Hey" she said meekly not turning around to face him.

"So I've had room service bring us some food up here because I want to tell you something" he continued not to be discouraged.

"Um, actually I need to tell you something to" she replied.

"Let me go first" Tony interrupted hoping that he could sway whatever she was feeling. He laid out the papers on the coffee table. "Self sustaining energy" he announced.

Scarlett didn't turn around so Tony kept going, "the new reactor that we built, it could power something really big for a long time"

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

"An excellent question daughter, I'm thinking that Stark Industries should become the name for self sustaining clean energy" he flourished.

Scarlett took a step back and turned face the table. "Just like that?" she asked as she walked over and picked up a page to look at.

"Well we already have a skyscraper in the works" Tony offered, "why not start big"

A smile found its way to Scarlett's face and Tony counted that as a win. "Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk," she said quoting him.

"You're learning" Tony said noting the line.

"So what?" Scarlett said finally meeting Tony's eyes, "you just shift into an entirely new direction, bye weapons hello energy"

"Why not?" Tony said, "I was dying I shouldn't be here, but this" he said as he tapped he new reactor "was created, it changed the entire direction of my life, and now I've got Pepper, I've got my health, and most importantly I've got you back."

Scarlett sniffed and she sat the paper back on the table, "dad" she said softly.

"And building number one" Tony said as he handed the lease.

Scarlett took it and scanned the lines "you put my name on it" she said softly.

"The two of us, working together, we'll be unstoppable" Tony pitched.

Scarlet looked up at her father, trails of silent tears falling down her cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Tony asked as he sped over to his daughter, "Scarlett"

"I've hadn't been feeling well" she began "for a while, so mom finally made me go to the doctor"

"What are you saying?" Tony asked confused trying to put together what she was saying, "Scarlett"

Scarlett bent down and crossed out something on the lease and wrote on it.

"I'm saying," she said as she handed the paper back to Tony. Tony took it and looked down, gone was the name Scarlett stark on the owner spot, in place was Tony's name. "That this is a great idea and I am going to help you as much as I can."

"I …. Wha- I" Tony stuttered.

"Dad, I'm sick" Scarlett said "and I don't think this time we are going to get as lucky"

The paper fell from Tony's hand as he walked towards his daughter; he cupped her face and looked at her. "No" he whispered, "we can get you the best help, we will find the best doctor"

"Its cancer" she whispered, tears falling freely now "there might not be a cure"

Tony gripped the back of her head and pulled her close to him. He felt her arms around his waist as she clung to him. He buried his face in her hair, holding back his own tears. He heard her muffled sobs as she tightened her grip.

She hadn't clung to him like that this since her first day of school; she had convinced herself that he wasn't going to come back for her. She hadn't been this scared of something in years. Because they both knew this wasn't as simple as being kidnapped, or them fighting. It was different because he couldn't save her this time. There wasn't a happy ending.

* * *

Tony stood at the entrance to her bedroom, just like old times she had cried herself to sleep. He watched her, her chest rising slowly.

The door lock clicked as Pepper stepped into the suite. "Tony" she whispered as she walked up behind him.

"I thought" he began but his voice broke. So he stopped and cleared his throat "I thought that this was a new beginning" he confessed.

"I thought that this could be exactly what we needed, a fresh start. The two of us together could finally be" he stopped and he pushed away from the frame and walked away.

Pepper walked up and stared at her daughter before closing the door and making her way over to Tony.

"Tony" she said softly, seeing that the man had poured himself a drink.

He remained quiet as she sat down next to him. Pepper picked up his hand and squeezed.

"Cancer" he croaked out, "it's cancer"

Pepper took in a sharp breath and Tony squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't" he said, "I don't know what to do. What am I suppose to do?"

"Tony I" Pepper said and then she stopped; she reached over and plucked the glass from his hands.

That seemed to spark something in Tony as he shot up, "I'm gonna fix it" he announced, "I'm gonna fix this, I know I can"

Pepper took a sip from the cup and stood up, she walked over and cupped Tony's face, she placed a quick kiss on his lips, "then lets fix this," she said.

* * *

 **2 weeks later**

* * *

Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening the door to the bakery.

"I'm sorry we're closed" a voiced called out from the back.

Tony ignored the voice and took a seat in one of the tiny tables.

"I said" the voice came closer as a woman stepped out of the back of the kitchen. "We're" she trailed off.

"Closed I know" Tony said as he stood up from the table, "you said that."

The woman crossed her arms and slowly made her way over to Tony. "What are you doing here Tony?" she asked.

"What's your blood type?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"What's your blood type?" he repeated.

The woman huffed "Tony, you cant just walk in here and"

"You walked out on your family 17 years ago" Tony interrupted her "gone, not a whisper or call from you"

The woman shifted and looked back up at Tony. "I'm aware"

"Oh that good, you're aware" Tony spat "tell me, are you aware that you daughter is dying with cancer?"

"Clara's sick?" she asked taking a step towards Tony. She halted when she saw the ice in Tony's look.

"Scarlett" Tony corrected "is sick correct, so tell me what your blood type is so I can see if you can be important in saving my daughter"

"B positive" she whispered.

"Fuck" Tony, swore as he turned and started to leave.

"Tony" she called out.

Tony froze, his back to her as his fist clenched she took her moment. "You cant just walk in here and tell me my daughter is dying and then leave." she explained.

That was the breaking point, Tony stared laughing, "I cant," he questioned as he took a breath between laughs. "I cant"

He turned around and stormed up to her, he invaded every personal button as they went nose to nose. "I can, and you can watch me do it" he growled, "because Scarlett is my daughter and she was left by you. You took a check over her, so yes I came here as an option, you no longer present as one. I'm going to leave and you will continue your existence not sparing a thought to her like you have for 18 years. Goodbye Erica"

Erica opened her mouth to reply but couldn't find the words as Tony stormed out of the bakery, slamming the door on his way out.

Tony in his anger knew he couldn't go back to the hotel. Scarlett would know something was wrong. So he went to their tower. _His tower_ he though with a physical flinch.

The elevator dinged as Tony stepped onto the main living floor. He walked over to the billboard and stared at it, another option gone.

He matched blood type wise but with the shrapnel and the reactor in his body, he wasn't a viable candidate. He had had a thought, a moment, and a glimmer of something when he thought of Erica. He knew she was in New York. He had thought that this was why Scarlett had come running here in the first place.

So he had swallowed his pride and asked her. Of course there was an easier way to find out, but somewhere he had wanted to see her reaction, to see that desperation that he had upon hearing the news.

"Another one gone" he mumbled to himself as he marked through another idea.

It was the last one. They had gone to three doctors already and they all said the same thing. _My daughter,_ he thought to himself _my special one of a kind daughter, has a special one of a kind cancer._ Anger coursed through him as his heart started to pick up, he wanted a drink, he wanted to be numb, he wanted to rage, against something, anything, anyone. Some item that could stand there and take just how unfair this was.

He turned and walked down the hallway, away from reality. He stepped into his daughter's room, his fantasy. He had given her as close to a comer room as he could with the design of the building. Allowing as much sunlight in for her art. He had thought of everything. Except for this.

The rooms were almost done, another couple of days and they could move in here. There was furniture and a couple of boxes of stuff she had left in California. But it wasn't enough. This wasn't her room. And it never would be, she would never have the time to add things or take them away. To create a safe haven from the media world she so desperately fled from.

He sat down on the edge of the bare mattress and put his head in hands, he squeezed his eyes shut till they hurt. But still the tears started to fall. Because yes, he was mad at the world, at whatever god there was, if there was one. He was furious at karma and the universe and anything anyone had ever held in any esteem of having actual sway over the world. But what he loathed, what he hated, was himself.

Because he had wasted so much time, had squander those moments where he could have forged memories, could have filled in those what if boxes and solidified his desire to be better than his father.

He had vowed, when the doctor handed her to him for the first time, that he would be better than his father.

Where his father would criticize, he would praise. Where his father pushed him away, he would comfort and hold close. He would never ever compare her to someone else; make her feel inferior in every way.

"Tony" he heard Pepper's voice call from the doorway.

He didn't answer, he didn't even acknowledge her presence.

"I told you that I would go with you" Pepper said, "You didn't have to go alone"

"I did" he voiced, his voice hoarse. "I needed to see her alone"

Pepper placed a hand softly on his shoulder. "Is she?" she began.

"No" Tony said as he wiped he face before looking at Pepper. "She's not"

Pepper let out a slow breath as she sat there next to Tony.

"I failed, pep" Tony said "and I don't know how, at what point or step. But I know I failed her"

"Cancer is genetics" Pepper said, "it has nothing to do with who her parents were or how much time was spent tucking her in. regret and failure are two different things"

"I will do anything to make sure she lives, and that we find a way to heal her Pepper, anything." Tony vowed.

"We've been together for eighteen years" Pepper said, "working together to build a company that cannot be toppled"

"We have" Tony agreed looking at the redhead's eyes.

"Then we can work together to save our daughter" Pepper commented.

Tony reached up and grabbed Pepper's hand, he pulled it into his and kissed the back of it. "That we can do Ms. Potts, that we can do"


End file.
